I’ve updated my Processing app to use the latest Case-Shiller Home Price Index data as of May 26, 2009. (For the uninitiated, see my previous post.) Continue reading »
May 262009
Apr 062009
See my post of May 26, 2009 for a more up-to-date Case-Shiller Home Price Index graph.
I must admit, I’ve been extremely lazy about reading Visualizing Data or even updating this blog… but, this post should make up for it.
Earlier this week I skimmed a WSJ blog and article on the Case-Shiller Home Price Index and thought to myself “time for a graph!”
For the uninitiated, Case-Shiller tracks home prices in 20 metro areas. As WSJ states, “[the index has] a base value of 100 in January 2000. So a current index value of 150 translates to a 50% appreciation rate since January 2000 for a typical home located within the metro market.”
This program graphs the history of each city’s home price index. Continue reading »
Dec 182008
Late in 1999, UltiMeth Systems created SeaFlow, a Java-based application for monitoring Seattle-area traffic conditions. SeaFlow is a powerful desktop version of WSDOT’s web-based traffic map. It uses the same WSDOT data but shows greater detail, allows customization, and reduces network traffic.
SeaFlow displays vehicle speeds, density, and count metrics. (WSDOT’s map shows only density which is certainly useful, but not a complete picture.) The visual color representation of each metric can be customized in SeaFlow.
In times of peak demand, such as December 18, 2008, WSDOT’s website may become overwhelemed and yield partial or missing maps. SeaFlow’s use of the smaller WSDOT data file — with maps rendered on the client-side — reduces demand on WSDOT’s site and can provide more reliable and complete updates.
SeaFlow is a great Java desktop app — small, efficient, and cross-platform. Its license is GPL.